Blackbird by Sam Humphries and Jen Bartel Ties Returnability to The Wicked + The Divine

In a trick seeming swiped from Marvel Comics’ common launch promotions, tying orders of one comic to past orders of another in order to qualify for added discounts (and upping orders overall as a result), Image Comics are doing similar with the launch of Blackbird.

Blackbird, the new comic book by Jen Bartel and Sam Humphries published in September, has been compared to The Wicked + The Divine. Magic, an open and clean art style, and a clique of power users who have a history, the nature of which may be changing.

As a result, Image Comics has stated that any store which orders as many of Blackbird #1 as they did of The Wicked + The Divine #1 will see Blackbird‘s orders made returnable.

Now, The Wicked + The Divine did well on launch, very well on the back of Image successes such as Saga and others. Indeed it topped 60,000 on initial release, though much of that audience seems to have now gone digital. Some stores may have found it hard to order so many for Blackbird. But if Image makes it returnable, it should be a lot easier to hit those numbers.

“We really wanted to create a story that felt fresh and different—something that appealed to experienced comic readers but was also extremely accessible to newcomers—and we really feel like BLACKBIRD encompasses that,” said Humphries. “It’s ultimately about a world of magic that exists just beneath the surface of everyday places and things, but it’s through the lens of a modern, sexy, neon-lit drama. It’s Harry Potter meets Riverdale.”

Everyone thinks Nina’s crazy, just because she’s convinced there’s a secret world ruled by ruthless cabals of magic users hiding in plain sight. What’s really crazy? She’s absolutely right. And when her sister is kidnapped by a mythical beast, Nina is the only one who can save her.

“I’m thrilled to finally be bringing BLACKBIRD to life,” said Bartel. “It’s a project Sam and I started working on back in 2016, and it evolved naturally out of conversations about what kinds of stories we’d like to see in comic shops. After all the anticipation from fans who have wanted interior art from me over the last two years, I’m excited to reveal everything I’ve been cooking up. I can’t wait for readers to meet the characters and world that we’ve built.”

BLACKBIRD #1, Cover A by Bartel (Diamond code: AUG180013) and Cover B by Fiona Staples (Diamond code: AUG180014), will hit stores on Wednesday, October 3rd. The final order cutoff deadline for comics retailers is Monday, September 10th.